Patton's newest coach, Jim Harbaugh, got a taste of that tenacity last week.

Drafted in the fourth round on April 27, Patton couldn't wait to start practicing with his new squad. He bought a plane ticket from Nashville, Tenn., to San Francisco, and when he landed at the airport on Monday, he rented a car.

Patton was halfway down Highway 101 when he called the 49ers to tell them he was minutes away. It wasn't welcome news.

Draft picks have a 24-hour window to visit their new team, per the new collective bargaining agreement, but they are not allowed at the facility beyond that. If Patton had arrived in Santa Clara, he might have forfeited his chance to participate in the team's rookie minicamp that begins Friday.

Harbaugh talked about the phone conversation – and the mini panic it set off at team headquarters – on KNBR radio last week.